Brilliant Singles Darts Champions

Competing at the Central Coast Leagues Club in Gosford at the 31st Formula Australian Darts Championships Lavinia Hogg and Anthony Fleet won their first Australian Singles title. The venue was rocking to the sound of 'darties music' as both threw great darts to clinch the status of Australian Champions on the big stage.

The Australian Ladies Singles Final saw Lavinia Hogg (left) win the opening two legs with both players showing a few nerves and missing a few darts at the double. Her opponent was another New South Wales player and former Singles Champion in Corrine Hammond. Hammond winning her title back in 2007 in Hobart. From this point on the standard lifted. Hammond immediately broke back winning the third leg in 20 darts. Hogg recognized the challenge ahead and she immediately broke back again with 19-darts to give her a 3 - 1 lead. This final was swinging from one side to the other as Corrine Hammond again broke back against the darts. Another 19-darter by Hammond evened up the final at 3 - 3 with three legs to go. Hogg was away in the fourth leg first and played a brilliant leg - 41, 180, 140, 100, 40 2 darts. Obviously that leg gave Hogg the incentive she needed as in the eighth leg, after an even start by both players four big scores in a row gave Hogg the advantage. Hammond was still at least three darts away from having a shot at the double. Hogg missed tops and left 10. Still no out shot for Hammond but a score of 87 gave her a chance. Hogg busted with two darts giving Hammond a chance from 76 but she missed tops. Hogg again was at double 5 with three darts. This time she hit the winner with her last dart to win her first Australian Singles Darts title. This also was her first Australian Darts Championships so a great feat by her.

Along with the title she won a $1000.00 provided by Formula Sports Australia. She played great darts all day. Lavinia will celebrate tonight. A little disappointing for Hammond, she would have loved to have won this title for the second time to add to her collection but she has had a magnificent week.

Average per dart in the final was:
Lavinia Hogg 20.415
Corrine Hammond 20.62

Hogg played Chrissie Sheerin from Queensland in the second semi final. A few missed opportunities at the double in the first leg which Sheerin won. From this point on Hogg dominated the rest of the semi final, reeling off the next four legs to make the final. It was not a brilliant match but the highlight was the clean finishing by Hogg. (40 - 1 dart, 85 - 3 darts, 20 - 2 darts and finally 84 - 3 darts to clinch the match.

Hammond (right) like Lavinia Hogg had an enthralling match in the first semi final. She played Louise Ball from Western Australia whom won this title back in 1991. Both players have also represented Australia at overseas international Cups. Both started a little slowly in this first leg. Hammond picked up her scoring before Ball did and managed to break the throw. Ball immediately broke back in 21 darts to level things up. The third leg saw Ball sitting on 16 after 18-darts, but that was not good enough as Hammond hit double 16 with one dart to take the leg in 16-darts. The next two legs were very even but the clean finishing by Hammond did not give Ball a chance and this match ended in a 4 - 1 victory to Hammond.

Ladies Semi Finals:
Corrine Hammond (22.231) NSW defeated Louise Ball (21.639) WA 4 - 1
Lavinia Hogg 18.379 (NSW) defeated Chrissie Sheerin 16.889 (QLD) 4 - 1

Quarter Finals:
Corrine Hammond (21.678) NSW defeated Fran Shore 20.990 (NSW 3- 2
Louise Ball (21.112) WA defeated Kim Kelly 22.289 (WA) 3 - 1
Lavinia Hogg 20.489 (NSW) defeated Dot McLeod 19.511 (WA) 3 - 1
Chrissie Sheerin 16.889 (QLD) defeated Christine Woolley 16.227 (TAS) 3 - 0

Men
Australia's top darts players saw a new Australian Singles Champion crowned. Many favourites had fallen as early as the first round in this championship and some new names and talent have emerged. Anthony Fleet from Canberra became the 2010 Champion with a 6 - 2 victory over Kim Lewis from Fremantle in Western Australia.

Anthony Fleet (left) is an interesting darting story. This is Fleety's 20th year representing at the championships as a senior player, after representing as a junior player on two occasions. He accomplished great achievement in 2009 at international, national and locally. Winner of The World Cup Doubles in the USA, Winner of the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, represented at Lakeside and at the Winmau World Masters in the UK, he has represented ACT and Australia and is one of Australia's premier players. Fleety is back and throwing brilliant darts. It took him 20 years to win the Pacific Masters last year after being runner up on numerous occasions. Now he has won the one title missing from his resume.

Both players in the final were extremely experienced darts players. Fleet was playing Kim Lewis a thirteen year veteran at this level from Western Australia who happened to have won this title back in 2003. Fleet opened up brilliantly to hit four tons in the first leg to win in 17-darts. The second leg and Lewis was away first. After 12 darts he was sitting on 41. After 12 darts Fleet had won the leg - 140, 180, 100, 81 finish. There was some pretty hot darts being thrown. After leg three Fleet was up 3 - 0 when he hit his second 17 darter. Lewis was throwing great darts but not quite getting the breaks. The fourth leg was pretty steady with still some brilliant scoring. Lewis held his throw to keep in the match. Lewis threw everything he had in the leg six to get a break back throwing a spectacular 11-darter. 100, 180, 140, 81 2-darts. Leg six Fleet had to do something or Lewis could get right back into this final. He scoring was hot but the odd miss at the double was starting to creep in. It took Fleet four darts to finish from 40 and Kim Lewis (left) missed with two darts at tops, but winning the sixth leg gave Fleet a little breathing room and a 4 - 2 lead. By winning the previous leg the confidence returned resulting in another brilliant leg, this time 13-darts which included his second 180 saw him one leg from the title. The eighth leg again saw brilliant darts. Lewis was sitting on 32 after 15 darts. Not good enough as Fleet stitched up the leg with his 15th-dart from 26 to clinch final and win the title.

Average per dart in the final was:
Anthony Fleet 31.577
Kim Lewis 29.308

Lewis and Geoff Kime from Queensland contested the first semi final. A very tight contest in the end here that saw the fortunes of each player fluctuated greatly. Kime a representative at the last World Cup in the US where he and Anthony Fleet won the World Pairs title. Lewis was in great form and started in this semi brilliantly. He opened with a 19 darter to claim the first leg with the darts. He won the second leg which included his first 180 in 11-darts. (140, 180, 135, 46 2-darts) Then he started leg three with another 180. At this stage Kime was still scoring brilliantly and broke Lewis in this leg by throwing a 13-dart to win. He followed that up with a 180 of his own to start the fourth leg which he won in 15 darts to tie proceedings at 2 - 2. From this point on it was the player throwing first would win the leg. Leg four and Lewis pegged 102 for a 12 - darter to take the lead. Kime leveled the match up again with a 15 darter. A couple pressurised misses at the double in this leg but Lewis held on. Leg eight and Lewis was off the boil in this leg and Kime saw the match to 4 - 4. The final leg and Lewis won the honours and was away first. With his second throw Kime hit a 180. Everyone was thinking that shot would separate the two. Two shots later Lewis hit his third 180 for the match to leave 49. That was enough as he cleaned up from 49 for another 15 darter to finish what had been a brilliant exhibition of darts by both players. It was a pity it had to end.

Fleet took on young Justin Miles from Mandurah in Western Australia in the second semi final. This match fluctuated in standard from great to outright brilliant legs for this level of competition. Miles is at his second senior Championships after competing at junior level a few years ago and is now a great prospect for Australia in the near future. Fleet won the opening leg comfortably in 17 darts which included a 1brilliant 165 to leave 16 for the peg. Fleet broke Miles in leg two with another 17-darter after Miles could not find the double wasting six darts trying to finish from 48. Fleet kept up the pressure to win his third leg in 17-darts in a row this time finishing from 56. Miles scored brilliantly in leg four winning his first leg in 15 darts pegging 91. Fleet held his throw in leg five to give him a 4 - 1 lead. Miles started leg six with two 140's followed by a 180 and finished from 41 to win his second leg in 12 darts. Both players were giving the triple twenty a real work out. Fleet was away in the seventh leg and he again found his accuracy. Miles was chasing hard but could not catch him as Fleet finished on double 16 from 52 to win the leg in 18 darts and the match 5 - 2 and move into the final. This was a great exciting match to watch played in great spirit.

Men's Semi Finals
Kim Lewis 29.015 (WA) defeated Geoff Kime 30.481 (QLD) 5 - 4
Anthony Fleet 29.621 (ACT) defeated Justin Miles 30.391 (WA) 5 - 2

Quarter Finals:
Geoff Kime 25.860 (QLD) defeated Mick Mullaney 23.357 (ACT) 4 - 3
Kim Lewis 31.98 (WA) defeated Kyle Anderson (29.567) WA 4 - 1
Anthony Fleet 29.831 (ACT) defeated Dave Breasley 29.845 (NSW) 4 - 3
Justin Miles 25.35 (WA) defeated Neil Hembrow 25.98 (WA) 4 - 1